A man driving a Toyota RAV4 fled from a traffic stop on Harlem Avenue Oct. 30, eventually ramming his way through a crowded entry ramp and onto Interstate 290 to elude law enforcement.
A Forest Park police officer noticed the SUV speeding northbound on Harlem around 1:30 p.m. The driver of the RAV4 did pull over initially, and an officer who approached the vehicle described the driver as a 20- to 25-year-old man wearing all black clothing and a ski mask. At some point during the traffic stop, the man allegedly put the vehicle in drive, pulled a U-turn and sped away.
A short distance from the initial stop, the suspect was spotted waiting at a red light to turn from Harlem onto the westbound I-290 ramp. The pursuing FPPD officer attempted to position their vehicle in front of the RAV4 but the suspect allegedly accelerated and sideswiped the passenger side of the patrol car, then collided with another, uninvolved vehicle.
The suspect’s RAV4 was described as “violently accelerating” and causing more damage as it fled down the ramp and onto I-290. Forest Park police briefly followed the RAV4 before terminating the pursuit near First Avenue.
This information was obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.
